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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24637363">Something Unexpected</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Co-workers, F/M, First Day of School, Fluff, Pining, Professors, so this is love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:35:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>855</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24637363</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Neville can't wait to walk with Luna to breakfast on her first day as a professor at Hogwarts. He thinks it'll be something to settle first day nerves What he doesn't expect is Luna has something unexpected up her sleeves, too.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Caught In Your Spell Comp - Dumbledore's Armada</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Something Unexpected</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the Caught in Your Spell Flash comp hosted on the Dumbledore's Armada discord. My prompt was Anteoculatia. Thank you to the lovely NuclearNik for hosting this amazing fest!!! This was such fun!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/>
<p>
  <span>When Headmistress McGonagall announces at the beginning of summer that the witch of his dreams will be taking over as the new professor as Care of Magical Creatures, Neville </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> both he and Hogwarts are in for it—there’s simply no way to prepare for the force of nature that is Luna Lovegood. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Neville likes it that way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He </span>
  <em>
    <span>loves </span>
  </em>
  <span>it, actually. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because he’s secretly been in love with Luna Lovegood since sometime fifth year—when she helped him work on casting a Patronus charm in the Room of Requirement. There was that moment in the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>thought</span>
  </em>
  <span> (read: dreamed, wanted, desired) would have turned into something </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span>… But, dreams come to nothing sometimes. Then they’re deferred. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And witches like Hannah Abbott enter the picture, and years pass… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Hannah is part of the past now, too. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Luna is back from… all that she’s been doing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Headmistress McGonagall says she’s been travelling the world studying magical beasts, beings, and creatures. She’s helped Rolf Scamander write and publish a second addition to Newt’s first book. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And now she’s a new professor at Hogwarts—one who will be outside. A lot. One who’s quarters are location </span>
  <em>
    <span>right down the corridor from his.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Right. Down. The. Corridor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He can’t admit to himself he’s been waiting for hours this morning… listening for the sound of her bedroom door to open… hoping to “catch her by surprise” to walk with her to breakfast the first day of class. Admitting that he’s cast a spell to amplify the noises in the hallway may be next to admitting he’s a disgusting stalker, and he’s not ready to admit that about himself. Or maybe it says he’s willing to do crazy things for love. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s not ready to admit that about himself, yet. Even though he already knows this is true. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he remembers Luna telling him his seventh year that there’s nothing quite as pleasant as having a walking companion through the halls of Hogwarts—something about the echoing of two or more sets of feet symbolising the sound of friendship—and he’s determined to give her that sound her first morning as a professor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hears the moment her door opens and he launches himself out his own door. His heart thunders in his chest and he catches himself rehearsing perfunctory phrases like: </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Good morning. How are you? Did you sleep well? Ready for your first day? D’you still prefer marmalade with your scones at breakfast?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He should be committed… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Or maybe he should just get a ruddy grip… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They spoke last night, and his tongue hadn’t tied itself in knots then… he can handle a simple walk the next morning… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looks up, breathless in anticipation for his eyes to connect with her luminous blue eyes—iridescent in the soft, buttery yellow rays of the morning light… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What he sees causes laughter to bubble up his through and erupt from his lips before he can stop himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s about to apologise, but Luna’s smiling—nay, </span>
  <em>
    <span>beaming</span>
  </em>
  <span>—too. He somehow feels this is a good sign. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Antlers?” he blurts out once his laughter is under control. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She brings her delicate fingers to wrap around one of the massive antlers that replace her hair—or rather, that he suspects her hair’s been transfigured into. “Do you suppose my student will get a laugh out of them, too?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Definitely.” He nods and falls into step with her. “The first and second years at least—dunno if the sixth and seventh years will know what to make of it though.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s nothing more than a simple </span>
  <em>
    <span>Anteoculatia</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I’ll cancel the hex at the end of the day, but I wanted to do something out of the ordinary right away to dispel anxious nerves. If the students are laughing at something, they’re not worrying over silly things like clothes, hair, and who’s going out with who.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neville chokes on a snort. “It’s the first day—they can’t already know who the up and coming couples are.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She gives him a look that he doesn’t think he’s supposed to find so endearing… but that doesn’t stop him from thinking he could puddle on the spot here and now nonetheless. She says, “I guarantee they’ve already begun to pair off on the train ride yesterday.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They chuckle together, arms brushing as they make their way to the Great Hall. He muses to himself that he shouldn’t be surprised at the antlers; he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>shouldn’t be. It’s Luna after all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What’s utterly surprising is how adorable he finds it; how cute she is. Dark robes draping from her shoulders, billowing around her as they walk. Her blue eyes are sparkling, and her smile is the sun itself. What does it matter that for today, in the place other flowing blonde hair, there are two large antlers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He thinks maybe she’s perfect, and maybe he hopes she does something else unexpected and surprising soon. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He also thinks he looks forward to many walks in the coming weeks, months, possibly even years.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Forever</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he adds silently. Forever will suit nicely indeed. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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